Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt (95) and cornerback Keisean Nixon (25) sack Minnesota Vikings quarterback Jaren Hall (16) during their football game Sunday, December 31, 2023, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. © Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK.
Four quarterbacks — J.J. McCarthy, Sam Darnold, Nick Mullens, and Jaren Hall — are vying for spots on the Minnesota Vikings’ September roster.
All four are severely unlikely to make the depth chart, so one man will likely be the odd man out. And according to Bleacher Report, that factoid evidently puts Hall, the second-year passer, on the trade block.
BR’s David Kenyon outlined five quarterbacks that teams should pursue at the moment, and Hall rounded out his list. “Jaren Hall is facing a rough situation on the Minnesota Vikings’ depth chart. The team picked up Sam Darnold on a one-year contract in free agency, then drafted JJ McCarthy in the opening round,” Kenyon wrote Sunday. “Neither of them is leaving the Vikings in 2024. Unless the Vikings shockingly decide to keep four QBs on the roster, one of Jaren Hall or Nick Mullens must go.”
Most believe Hall will end up on the practice squad, where the Vikings will hope no team steals him for its active roster.
“The value coaches place on system knowledge can never be discounted, though, so Mullens might end up being the Vikings’ pick anyway. Hall is a perfect candidate to develop into an infuriating-to-everyone-else solid reserve on a quality team,” Kenyon continued. “Sit as a third-stringer in 2024, and kick out a current backup next offseason. This sounds like a job for Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs—or the Raiders, even as that’s not as glamorous.”
Hall’s trade value is unclear and not mentioned by BR, but Minnesota would probably receive a late-round draft pick if any deal came to fruition.
The BYU alumnus started two games in 2023 as a rookie. He was quickly concussed in his first start, a Week 9 showdown against the Atlanta Falcons, which led to Joshua Dobbs and his brief Cinderella story. The following month, Hall was called upon to start in a pivotal game against the Green Bay Packers on New Year’s Eve, an event that turned out disastrous for everyone except the Packers — Hall included.
That doesn’t mean Hall’s career is doomed or anything of the sort — he just wasn’t Minnesota’s long-term quarterback solution, evidenced by McCarthy’s addition to the roster in April.
Other quarterbacks on the trade block according to BR? Bailey Zappe (New England Patriots), Tyler Huntley (Cleveland Browns), Malik Willis (Tennessee Titans), and Taylor Heinicke (Atlanta Falcons).
Hall turned 26 in March.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.